1935 Gems of American Architecture (The American Outhouse)

Ah! the American Outhouse, a piece of great architecture that rivels even the Empire State Building and The 7 Wonders of The World. Today I'm offering a booklet dedicated to the sturdy structure, the American Outhouse from 1935 titled "Gems of American Architecture" by William Royal Greer with Embellishments(Illustrations) by Charles E. Calder. It was published by Brown & Bigelow Remembrance Advertising of St. Paul, Minnesota.

If you grew up into the early 1950's when no running water and the lack of electricity was still normal in some rural small towns across America one thing was certain, outhouses were still found on properties even after running water was introduced to the home owner.

This booklet has 48 pages with 24 black and white photos taken by William Royal Greer which show some very simple to some very fancy outhouses giving a glimpse of where you needed to travel in order to read the Newspaper! On each page along with the photo are witty, silly, and humorous thoughts by Mr. Greer that you'll find very wasteful. The booklet measures 5½" wide x 4 5/8" long x a little over 1/8" thick.

The booklet was made available to numerous businesses around the country. This booklet was compliments of Euclid Division, General Motors Corporation of Cleveland 17, Ohio. Listed below are the names given to each outhouse:

Here's one of the serious descriptions:
"The Eureka---The Eureka is the last word in unique toilet construction, and is a time saver for those who place their doolies (Outhouses) on hills.
The special open back permits the owner to find out whether or not the donnicker is in use. By merely looking through it he gains the desired information by counting the number of feet or legs seen there, thus saving tiresome walks up and down the hill every time the dooley is used." Makes sense to me!

**Condition: The front and back cover is in good condition. The inside pages are in very good condition. *Covers: There is minor wear to the spine, light wear to the outer edges, and bumps to all the corners. There is a short note to the previous owner that looks like it has been written with a blue vintage fountain pen. There are some minor crease marks on the back cover near the top left corner and a very light tiny stain on the back cover near the bottom left corner. *Inside pages: There is a tiny crease mark at the top right corner of the first inside page.

If your mom or dad or a grandparent grew up between the 1930's and the 1950's, ask them to give a detailed description of the American Outhouse.

This booklet would make a really neat surprise present that anyone would get a kick out of. Make sure you add some crumbled newspaper with the booklet since toilet paper may not have been found in the house.